A year after selling their video conferencing production company and merging with a local software company, David and Scott Allen couldn't be happier.

The father-son duo, owners of the newly merged Iformata Communications, have added 30 employees in the past year. They now have 52 employees and plan to add another dozen in the next 60 days.

Iformata started out making software for video conferencing equipment but the company now installs and manages cutting-edge video conferencing, and occupies 10,000 square feet in downtown Dayton.

With such a vast amount of growth, the company is also opening a 6,000-square-foot office on Rockridge Road in Englewood in the next two weeks.

By the end of 2008, the Allens -- Scott, chief executive officer; Rebekah, president and David, chairman -- plan to obtain more space downtown and grow the company to 120 employees.

The growth of Iformata is fueled by the interest in its many video conferencing products, especially Telepresence, which David created, 15 years ago.

Telepresence is high-tech video conferencing that meets the need of groups to talk and differs from traditional teleconferencing because it creates more of a personal environment, even with the involved parties being hundreds or thousands of miles apart.

Iformata specializes in setting up and monitoring video conferencing equipment for businesses throughout the world, including Columbus-based Compuserve and New York-based Deloitte and Touche LLP.

Iformata will come in and set up the equipment, broadband and provide the network and servicing.

"We take care of everything," said Scott Allen. "We ensure whatever someone needs they have, all they have to do is reserve the room for the conference and be there for it. We pretty much choreograph the meeting."

Iformata offers a wide range of video conferencing products from low level to high class such as the Telepresence.

The company declined to disclose revenue but said the idea of Telepresence is vastly growing as it creates more of a true-life interaction between a large group of people.

For example, the Telepresence equipment Iformata has in its office allows for 18 people in one room in Dayton to have a meeting or conference with 18 other people in a room in Indianapolis.

"Telepresencing is all about people being together when they aren't," said David Allen. "It's the perception of being together while you're in another place."

The Allens said with travel being a large expense for corporations and a shaky economy, the idea of using Telepresence and more video conferencing equipment is becoming more attractive to companies.

By utilizing Iformata's products, businesses can save money on travel expenses for executive officers all around the world. For example, middle level conferencing equipment costs $3,000 per month. A round-trip, first-class ticket from Dayton to Tokyo for two days would cost about $16,000, according to Travelocity.com.

"Meetings all over the country and the world can become costly for both large and small companies," David Allen said.

Telepresence equipment is more expensive, costing $500,000 up front and $10,000 to $15,000 a month.

Jessica Back, marketing coordinator for Centerville-based Panini North America, said Panini uses video conferencing to stay in contact with its remote sales team across the country and it has been a way for the company to save money and make communication easier.

Back said sales managers have meetings every Monday via video conference, although not with Iformata's products.

"It wouldn't make sense for all of them to fly to one location to have a meeting," she said. "In two hours their meeting is over as opposed to spending an entire day flying which would cost more money and valuable time that could be spent with customers."

Iformata has received about 15 new orders in the past month and is getting the word out about its products through marketing and Internet searches, because it is the only supplier of Telepresence equipment in the world, David Allen said.

It currently does work in 50 countries but the Allens said by the end of 2008, Iformata will have a presence in 150 because of an interest in its products from Fortune 500 companies.

Scott Allen said the one thing it does lack is a presence among Dayton area companies, which is a goal the company has for the upcoming year.

"We are growing rapidly, bringing in income from outside of the country and are happy to bring jobs to the area, but would like to get more local customers," he said.